Mobius: Awakenings
by Kanmeros
Summary: This is a fan fiction that combines elements from Sonic Videogames, as well as the Saturday Morning cartoon and comic book. It is set after the downfall of Robotnik in season two of Sonic The Hedgehog Saturday Morning series.
1. Default Chapter

  
  
Cast featured in Part 1:  
  
Lt. Hershey:  
  
General Geoffrey St. John recruited former Freedom Fighter Hershey into the Underground Resistance. Her mixed feelings about her past dealing with Freedom Fighters, Drago, and Robotnik often distracts her from everyday life routine. Once she is assigned on a mission, however, she blocks all doubt and moods, and dons a whole new character that doesn't give up until her mission is complete.  
  
Medusa:  
  
Robotnik captured Medusa during a mission assigned from the Underground Resistance. She has been robotocized and considered MIA until reports of her whereabouts were found. The Resistance uses her as a spy, giving them information and inside about Robotnik's doings.  
  
General Geoffrey St. John:  
  
A valuable member to the Underground Resistance, St. John has led many successful missions against Robotnik and any ally whom the evil Doctor has befriended. He is currently MIA.  
  
Kandross Tyler:  
  
Nothing much is known about this robotic German shepherd. He is an automaton, a robot with the personality of a living mobian. He became active with only fragments of his own identity, which inspired him to start on a quest to find out who he really is.  
  
  
Zede: Unknown.  
  
Not much is known about this mysterious character. However, his part in the story is a prominent one.  
  
Drago:  
  
Former Wolfpack member Drago became active after the fall of Robotnik. He dwells in the shadows to perform his own deeds. Recently, he has been trying to band other wolves to join his quest for power to reclaim the Wolfpack lands. There have been other rumors that say he is actually working for a hidden agenda.  
  
Rouge:  
  
A free agent, Rouge the bat has agreed to be working alongside Drago on his own quest. However, her own intentions are yet to be revealed as she is considered a wild card on this story.   
  
Princess Sally Acorn:  
  
Leader of the Great Forest Freedom Fighters. Sally has been under great pressure as members of her group have been debating over whom should they trust after the final confrontation with Robotnik. At the same time, she has been tending to the wounded that were rescued during the Judgment Day mission.  
  
The last thing she needs now is a rebellious lot that is planning to leave the Forest to pursue their own dreams of freedom.  
  
Sonic The Hedgehog:  
  
Sally's best friend, most valuable ally. Sonic often goes for instinct rather than logic in many situations.  
  
Lupe:  
  
Leader of the Wolfpack Freedom Fighters. Sir Charles roboticized her. Currently gained consiousness of who she really is, and looking for the rest of her family as well as comrades in the Wolflands.  
  
Bunnie Rabbot:  
  
Bunnie is another valuable member in the Freedom Fighters roster. Bonnie embarks on her own journey after watching the events taking place between her fellow fighters.  
  
SA Agent Lidya: Female Artic Vixen  
  
SA Agent Markos: Male Racoon  
  
SA= Snake Eater. The Snake Eater elite is a hidden group within the Underground Resistance's line of agents. These are selected secretly in emergency missions.  
  
  
Roberto: Male Doberman Pincher  
  
Roberto lives along with Victor and Espio in Urban mobius.   
  
Victor: Male Alligator  
  
Mobian rebel who lives in the slums of Urban-Mobius.  
  
Espio: Male Mobian Chameleon.  
  
Espio moved in with Victor to Urban Mobius after Doomsday. He and Victor have no alliance with anybody at the moment, or any kind of agenda on which they rely on.  
  
Hershey, Geoffrey St. John, Princess Sally Acorn, Bunnie Rabbot, Lupe, and Drago are all Copyright: Archie Comics.  
  
Sonic the Hedgehog, Rouge the Bat, Robotnik, Victor, Espio are Copyright: SEGA.  
  
Medusa, Markos, Lydia, Roberto, and Kandross Tyler are Copyright 2000: Kanmeros/Manuel.   
  



	2. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER 1**

ROBOTROPOLIS, 00:05 A.M. : THE SLUMS

The skies were smoky red, filled with contamination from years of pollution and mistreatment of the ecosystem. It was hard to tell whenever it was day or night, but by the heavy patrol during evening ours, it seemed more likely to tell the difference. Swatbots patrolled in pairs, walking and searching every corner of the robotic city, leaving no scrap of metal unturned, searching for any biological organism that would put a threat on their city. 

Badniks were also walking around, either patrolling or directing themselves to the factories. Their emotionless glowing eyes looked at anything with a blank expression on their metallic faces. They had neither will nor a spark of life on their own after being roboticized by the tyrannical ruler Dr. Ivo Robotnik. Even the birds that flew the skies were badniks themselves. Everything on the city was like a barren technological wasteland.

A shadowy figure ran among the tall structures of the city, avoiding any source of light whenever possible, and eluding the ever-vigilant swatbots and their arm flashlights. It darted from alley to alley, and turned to the corner of a rust-covered building, just missed by a hoverbot camera that finished surveying the place. The hoverbot closed into an alley nearby, and hovered past the rusty walls of that building. The head of a female mobian feline peeped trough the wall, she was wearing a red beret along with a purple-hued visor, that covered most of her face and eyes. The feline pulled her head once more, standing flat against the wall as a large spotlight cruised by on the floor. At full view, she was wearing a brown vest with a red scarf around her neck; her fur was black, with white markings on her face and underbelly. A large, fluffy tail swished left and right calmly, passing by a pair of leather-linen boots that had spikes on the soles. 

The feline female helped herself inside an open door of the building, making sure she was not being followed. Once inside the building, she walked cautiously, making no sound at all despite the kind of boots she was wearing. Crouching slightly, turning her head to the right and to the left, she walked a few steps more before a luminous spotlight beamed from above. She froze in place, looking upwards to the light, not even wincing to it thanks to the purple visor protecting her eyes.

"Lieutenant Hershey of the underground resistance, I presume..." said a deep male voice coming form the direction of the light," Indeed, your skills are most impressive, passing trough Robotnik's defenses and swarms of swatbots and badniks alike without any fear of getting caught. We are most pleased to see your progress."

Hershey narrowed her eyes, crossing her arms without saying any kind of reply to the voice.

"I see that small talk does not appeal to you, therefore we will commence our meeting. You may stay where you are, this shall not take long..."

A few moments later, another spotlight appeared on Hershey's left side, just a few steps from where she stood. She turned her head to see a closed laptop computer on top of a table. It had black-colored linings and silver chromed finish.

"In this computer you will find the objective of your mission, if you could please walk to it and open it up, you will find all the information you will need." 

Hershey raised her left eyebrow, not moving an inch form where she stood. An eerie chuckle was heard from the man's voice. Herhey turned her head back up to the first spotlight, cocking her head to the right while her tail swished annoyingly form left to right.

"Trust is hard to achieve, isn't it?"

A humming noise came form the laptop as it opened, revealing a lime-green screen with digital encryptions circling in the middle of the screen. Hershey looked back at the computer, her arms settled in a defensive position. The screen beamed up a rectangular window about three feet from the ground where the laptop was positioned, and a detailed photo of Geoffrey St. John was shown, along with his vital stats. Hershey relaxed, crossing her arms once more.

"As you may already know, Captain Geoffrey St. John has been MIA for three months after his last mission here in Robotropolis. No information has been released about his whereabouts in your own group, nor reports of robotication on new Mobians have been found during that time. His mission has been classified to us from the underground resistance, denying any information we may of use of help them, but..."

The digital window's image distorted, and it formed back again, this time showing the high tower where Doctor Robotnik used to reside (and rule from) in. The image soon pointed out many escapee routes and chambers that were once used to roboticize Mobians and even experiment upon. Hershey's eyes dilated, having noted that these were the exact same plans given to Geoffrey to begin his mission with. She wondered just how this came out in the open and is owned by the like of these weirdoes.

"Don't bother trying to figure out how we got this information, Hershey. We are a group more secluded in secrecy than even the infamous militia group you have joined. Now, let us continue, shall we?"

Hershey's tail moved even faster, showing her irritation and mistrust on these individuals, however, if they knew where Geoffrey may of disappeared to, she would have to be patient and wait to see what was in demand form them. Thus, she kept quiet about it.

"With the fall of Robotnik, Geoffrey was sent to secure and disable all of the remaining rooms the mad doctor used to operate. The robotication chambers would be drained from all the data saved during the time they were used, and thus, use that same data as a tool-or shall we say cure?-for the effects of robotication on Mobians."

The screen once again switched, showing a log from a security camera inside a dark room, filled with robotic parts and cables laying down everywhere. Geoffrey was seen walking to the center of the chamber of it, followed closely by two more members of the resistance. Geoffrey crossed his arms and looked sideways, as if looking for something along the corridors of the technological place. Moments later, a large, white-furred wolf showed up, pacing slowly towards the trio. The wolf showed a few scars on his nose, red distinctively standing out from the black exterior of canid's nose. Hershey's eyes closed to a slit, baring her fangs and claws retracting form her paws.

"The former wolfpack member and world-renowned traitor, Drago. Aquantice of yours, we believe. The scars on his nose seemed not to have healed fully, you have done a good job on kicking his tail back then."

Hershey did not even flinched at what she was told. Her concentration was all inside the screen as Drago handed Geoffrey a mini-disc, then shook hands with him. Hershey's eyes dilated fully once more, watching in disbelief what was happening. What would the resistance need from someone such as him? Her questions would wait as more of the recording showed the meeting being interrupted violently by swatbots that were opening fire at the individuals. One of the members of the resistance fell as a laser hit his back, while the other and Geoffrey returned fire, running to the left side of the screen. Dragon jumped back where he came from, secluding himself in darkness. The recording was stopped as the screen went black altogether. 

"That was the most recent activity shown of Captain Geoffrey, after this, he was not heard of for months. We will not tell any more until we have come to our agreement. You do know of our brief discussion with the resistance about the mission we have stored for you."

Indeed, one month after Geoffrey was declared MIA by the resistance, a meeting was set by an unknown source to find him, in exchange; they would help to find the whereabouts of the Captain. The question was still hovering in Hershey's mind as to who this source was, and why was Geoffrey connected to all of this. Hershey believed there was more than just the disappearance of St. John to set such an importance to the rebellion's attention. Something told Hershey that these individuals would not tell her much about it, however. 

The screen came alive once more, revealing a Mini-Disk. "This minidisk is in fact information that was taken from us. We have hunted all over Mobius to find it, only to find out that it was in the wrong hands form the very beginning. Indeed, Drago was holding that disk, and it was handed down to the Captain you are searching for. We lost track of Drago, nothing more has ever been mentioned of him, but we have received information from our resources that St. John may be still alive and well be around the premises of Robotropolis."

"You will find more about his whereabouts and key elements for your mission's completions inside that laptop. But remember that you must find that disk for us, and meet us at a location only we will provide for you. We will also provide equipment for your ventures, we advise you be wise to take it."

After this was mentioned, a third light shone to the right side of the laptop, revealing a medium-sized backpack. It was brown in color and it had black markings on the side. Hershey walked reluctantly to both items, picking up the laptop and closing it, then walked to the backpack, picking it up with a free hand. It didn't felt as light as it appeared to be, giving Hershey a bit of a hard time to put it on her back. 

"You have three days to find that disk and hand it back to us, Lieutenant. We expect you to be successful. If you fail, we will disregard any knowledge of your mission, or your own whereabouts to anyone. Moreover, this mission must not be divulged to anyone not associated with you have learned here. We don't expect you to confirm what we just told you, we expect you to execute our orders to the letter. Good luck to you, and we hope you find your missing comrade."

The spotlights turned off, and all was silent. Hershey walked towards a green-lit door, an exit to the old building. With nothing else on her shoulders other than the objectives of her mission, Hershey ran into the night, following the alleys of the slums towards the heart of Robotropolis.


	3. Chapter 2

"_Has the operation started yet?"_

_ "Yes." _

_ "And the female agent?" _

_ "On her way."  
_

_ "Excellent. Keep me updated."_

__

_ "Understood."_

****

** CHAPTER 2**

INDUSTRIAL SECTOR, 00:35 AM

It started raining in Robotropolis. Corrosion and acid splashed against weakened cement walls and rusty metal. Badniks were aligned in rows, marching towards a factory. Guardianbots were positioned on each side of the giant door that was open for the robotic mechanoids. 

The first row entered trough the guarded door, walking in a monotonous pace. Inside the factory, badniks worked on parts for a new line of Swatbots. The Wacky Workbench factory was what it was named, since Robotnik created many odd mechanic menaces in here, ranging from a swarm of giant robotic wasps to a giant octopus-like crab with sawblades sticking out its ends to cut down trees in the great forest. 

Even after Doctor Robotnik's fall, the production line in here kept working, managed by security bots with production instructions and restless routine until new orders were received from their mad creator.

On one corner of the factory stood a badnik vixen, supervising the work left behind by previous workers. She inspected a large torso-like structure (which was hanging from the ceiling by chains over a metallic table), moving it around with her metallic claws. Her red eyes where much different from other badniks, they looked over the structure with both intelligence and self-awareness. 

Her eyes blinked once as she touched the upper side of the torso, then removed a plate from it. A complex bundle of cables were inside, each with a different color. The robovixen sled her claws inside of it, moving around the cables carefully. Her mouth opened a bit as she found what she was looking for and started to pull her claws from the torso. She held a rectangular shaped microchip above her head, examining its lines of circuitry. A robotic slavemaster hovered behind her, observing her with a telescopic eye. The vixen put the microchip down beside the torso and once again replaced her claws inside the open compartment, moving cables and other circuitry around. The slavemaster resumed its surveillance, leaving her alone.

She stopped abruptly as she heard a metallic tapping below her. The vixen looked under the mechanic torso, at a drainage entrance blocked by a barred door. Her red eyes dilated fully as she noticed Hershey's face, flashing a grin inside the drain.

The vixen nodded once and straightened her pose, looking around for any more slavemasters or swatbots wandering about. She looked up at a camera turning her way and resumed her work, placing a foot above the trapdoor below. The camera stood a few seconds observing her, and then it began moving away slowly. The vixen opened the hatch below her and slid inside quickly, not wanting to be caught by anything. She closed the hatch by the time the camera rotated back towards her location.

***

SEWAGE UNDERGROUND, 01:45 AM

"Geez, you sure pick the weirdest places to meet, Medusa." Hershey said, following her badnik comrade trough a series of pipes under the busy factory. Medusa was the codename given to the vixen before she was transformed during a mission sent by the underground resistance. Her codename was about the only thing she kept intact from her past life as a Mobian.

Medusa shrugged, "Hey, I am not the one crazy enough to come here by myself without any help of any sort. But enough of the small talk, tell me what's up this time. I have not heard from _any _of you guys from months. I was beginning to think that you have forgotten me." 

"Oh my, perish the thought!" Hershey said in a made-up accent, "I would not do never do a thing to such an elegant (and shiny) robo-vixen as yourself. Next time I'll bring a can of oil and a free tune-up ticket at Robotnik's."

"Keep it up, smart ass. I'll wear those whiskers of yours as a luck charm."

Hershey smirked and kept following Medusa along the way. The labyrinth-like pipelines where used mainly for transporting waste liquid materials to the rivers of Robotropilis. This particular viaduct was seldom used, since repairs on it was done recently. Anyone venturing here would be lost forever, or lead into the wrong way to other viaducts filled with poisonous gases and toxic rivers. Medusa knew the structure of it by memory, after downloading data from the Wacky Workbench's main computer. That was one of Hershey's most valuable opportunities at the moment, since she was able to have a copy of the sewer maps in hand when she contacted Medusa earlier on.

While they were avoiding traps and security cameras underground, Hershey told Medusa of the current situation. The whole explanation ended as they reached their destination. They settled inside a lone concrete room with a steel table and a couple of chairs, far away from the industrial area and even further below Robotropolis. The walls were adorned with maps of the ancient Mobiopolis, while on another wall there was a hand-drawn map of Robotropolis. On the wall nearest the table hung a vast writing board, with crayons hanging from its side. There was some smudged writing on it; Hershey could not make out what it read.

The room was used to brief meetings before venturing into a mission. Strategies and equipment were all discussed in this area. Nobody outside the rebellion ever knew of this place, not even Robotnik suspected that such area even existed, meaning there were no worries about any swatbots ever raiding it.

Also, the water running beside the room seemed to be clean. This must have been one of those forgotten entrances that connected to grottos and crystal caves underground. Some of the very few which offered fresh water to organic life outside the dreaded robotic capital. Perhaps this was the last place that had such natural resources, even.

Hershey and Medusa both sat down, discussing the pros and cons of strategies discussed. The Lieutenant took off her visor and red beret, placing them aside her arm on the table. The air was musky, but not unbearable enough to complain. 

"You say that you know this group?" Hershey asked, finding out that Medusa's name was screened in the laptop earlier on. "How did you got involved with such people?"

"Yeah, well..."the badnik shrugged, "I go incognito into Robotropolis' main factories and download anything that they might find useful from old servers. In return, I am kept safe and under their protection twenty-four seven. Not a bad deal if you ask me."  
  


Hershey remained silent; she was not sure what to say to this. Before she could change the subject however, Medusa placed a minidisk in front of her, colored red with silver linings around the edges.

"What's this?" said Hershey as she picked it up, studying it carefully.

"This will give you the access codes you will need to reach Lower Mobius. Hopefully they may aid in what you are looking for. Make sure to give them my name when you find their Captain. Also, let me hand you this..."

The badnik reached for a polyester bag below the table, and then placed it on the surface. As she opened it, she reached for a gun-type weapon, placing it aside the bag along with three square-shaped cartridges. The gun was about the size of Hershey's hand, while the cartridges were smaller. Medusa placed on of them on the tip of the gun, then pushed it gently, making a clicking sound as it strapped together. 

"This is an electrical disrupter taser." Medusa said, "One of my favorite guns back in the day. It can shoot as far as 30 meters to its target, and it can send out enough power to make a Guardianbot explode in seconds. It has cables attached to it so you may retrieve the cartridge after you've done frying those bastards."

Hershey could almost see her smile, with those steel fangs sticking out from the vixen's face. She rubbed her chin approvingly, nodding. 

"I am sure you've got some weapons of your own, but you can never have enough in places like these. Especially when going solo." Her eyes glowed as she looked at Hershey, handing her the taser. Hershey accepted the gift, avoiding the vixen's eyes. It had a good grip, and felt comfortable against her fingertips.

"I will follow you to the entrance of the elevators, the shift is changing now." Medusa said as she got up from the chair, Hershey picked up her belongings and followed her, looking around for anything-or anyone- that might of been following them. 

This time, they took the route inside the natural grotto. Hershey's feet splashed against a muddy and drastically loose ground. Hershey strapped on a night-vision device around her head after it became too difficult to see the way. She turned it on, watching as a million and one rocks and boulders of many sizes and shapes encircled her view. The green and dark colors did not prevent the majestic image that this place offered. Water streams came and go from all sides, as the natural muddy banks seemed endless. Hershey wished she could stop for a minute to contemplate it. 

Each drop of water from a stalagmite made an enchanting echo that was heard for miles. The darkness around was pleasant, unlike the unnatural setting of the big city above. Medusa stopped and turned her head around, eyes gleaming red against the darkness, looking at Hershey.

"Watch your step. We're almost there."

The rough road seemed less crowded as Hershey watched out for inverted stalagmites and loose rocks on the mud. The heavy dripping of water was way behind them, and the air felt a little musky, with hints of smog and sewage waste around. On the far end of the grotto there was a tiny light source, which glittered inside Hershey's night vision equipment. She turned it off, pulling the headset above her forehead and followed Medusa until reaching an exit, which was at the far end of Robotropolis, near the junkyard. 

"It'll be a bit stinky, but I think you'll manage." Medusa said, walking towards the opening. 

"Whoopy." Replied Hershey sourly, following the metallic vixen outside.


	4. Chapter 3

_"Report"_

_"She has made contact with the Badnik as expected."_

_"Most intriguing. Contact our ally and ask him of his progress."_

_"As you command, sir."_

_"Oh, and bring me another bottle of that magnificent wine, my nerves need to be calmed down."_

_"Of course, sir."_

__

**CHAPTER 3**

THE JUNKYARD- 02:35 AM

The junkyard was under the watchful eye of swatbot patrols, much like any other sector in Robotropolis. When Robotnik discovered that the Freedom Fighters used this area as their entrance and route of escape often, he tightened security around it. He did well for a couple of months, capturing mobians twice as much than he would inside the steel city.

This meant that he had badniks to spare for his factories and other plans he would unleash on Mobius. Just like in Robotropolis, Swatbots patrol continued their daily routine, even after his master was no longer around. Hidden cameras inside piles of junk and debris, hoverbots scanning around pools of acid and oil, heavy-armored Swatbots walking around the mounds of steel and metal, arms raised with their laser armlets in check.

Around in the middle of it all there was a tower that served as a communications center, barking orders to all Swatbot patrols and controlling laborbots in their cleaning routines. Swatbots where at the rooftop, controlling a spotlight on the ground while in the inside of the tower were guardbots, controlling the mainframe of the tower and scheduling the next patrolling routine. Five guardbots where at command, each rolling around to every single computer screen, checking on every security sector every now and then.

"Group Alpha-Beta 12-4-5, this is Central Tower, report your progress."

"Alpha-Beta, all clear, over."

"Affirmative, continue patrolling the area, Alpha-Beta."

"Roger. Alpha-Beta over and out."

"Group Omega-Dial-16-6-5, report."

"Omega-Dial, all clear, over."

"Affirmative, Omega-Dial. You may continue your duties."

"Roger, Central Tower. Omega-Dial over and out."

Searches where twenty-four seven, even if there were no sights of any organically being for months now. Orders where orders, and no one above their rank could ever do otherwise. The robots were loyal to their master indeed.

A heavy-armored Swatbot rolled around a pile of junk, crushing any thrash on the floor and avoiding any harmful acid puddles. It stopped right in front of a dead-end, wall of scrap metal surrounding it. Its right arm came out from its side, forming into scanning lenses, oval in shape and focusing ahead pf the road. It snapped shots of its finding, sending it towards the Central Tower immediately. The Tower received the data and translated it to a computer screen, scanning the images that just got in.

"Intruder alert! Sector 54, East of Central Tower. Code Yellow. Swatbot unit 12-543 is scanning presumed intruder at the moment."

A few seconds later, the image cleared completely, showing the body of Medusa standing aside a pile of scrap metal, her head down as her body remained completely still. The guardbots studied the image, coming with any known conclusions about it.

"Awaiting your orders, Number 1." Said the guardbot who gave the initial alert, "Should we pick up the badnik and scan it for any malfunctions?"

The guardbot referred as Number 1 rolled by, its arms clicking once. Its head looked up at the screen, computing any orders that would suit this situation.

"Bring the badnik in. It must have got lost on its orders and malfunctioned. Give the go ahead to the armored swatbot, Number 3."

"Affirmative" Said Number 3, while sending the orders to the armored swatbot. Moments later, the massive machine picked up Medusa, who was standing still with her electronic eyes off. A massive claw that formed from the right arm lifted the badnik, carrying her back towards the guarding post. At the same time, Hershey lay in wait nearby the door to open. This was a plan she and Medusa planned during the last miles of their journey. A risky plan since the feline would have to jump in at the same time the armored swatbot would be allowed to get inside the post. There were hoverbots around the door, and too many cameras surveying the area, so a chance of her hacking the security code to get inside was not an option this time.

Her tail flicked once in anticipation. She tried her best to remain calm until she received he chance. At last the armored swatbot came to the door, holding Medusa in one claw, while his head looked up to the cameras for a full access scan. Lights turned on form the ceiling as the cameras whirled at the massive machine for a few seconds, then the door moved upwards, making a rusty rumble that made Hershey cringe momentarily. The swatbot marched in slowly, taking its time, as it there was nothing better to do. The lights went of once the entire frame walked in, and the door was closing shut.

Hershey leaped from her hiding spot-a heap of metallic junk and garbage-, and rushed inside the entrance before it was sealed once more. The cameras whirled away from entrance while she did this, avoiding any unwanted attraction to her mission. 

The inside of the structure was dark, not a single light was lit save for the blinking lights of some maintenance bots. She moved close to a wall, relying only on her natural eyes to see in the dark. Her temptation to use the night vision goggles kept creeping inside her head, but it was far too risky to get caught while using them. The night goggles gave out a green glow around the eye area, and swatbots would surely come to inspect the strange new light.

For a brief moment she wanted to follow that armored robot. She wanted to check on her partner to make sure nothing has happened to her. But she could not betray her orders for anything...or anyone.

She bit her lower lip and resumed her inspection, slowly trough the darkness to reach her destination.

***

THE JUNKYARD-MAINGATE- 02:55 AM__

_ Look for an oval-shaped column, next to a set of steel stairs._

Those were the last words the metallic vulpine said to her before entering the junkyard. It was a secret passage concealed by the residents of Lower Mobius. In years past this place was nothing much than garbage bin, to recycle scrap metal. But Robotnik rebuilt the place, converting it to a small fortress to keep unwanted visitors at bay. Hershey realized it would still not be successful at keeping the likes of Sonic from rushing in and destroy it. Perhaps this was to be a mission waiting to happen for the Forest Freedom Fighters.

If they had any reason to come here that is.

Hershey counted her steps in case she needed to withdraw should such passage no longer existed. Each turn she made on the corner of the place was also imprinted in her memory, every detail felt on her fingertips from the wall, memorized. Working solo meant a lot of caution, and avoiding armed robots outnumbering you was reason enough not to get caught.

A low hum came from the left of her position; Hershey stood still and turned her head slightly to confirm what she heard. A small rounded robot advanced slowly past her, not taking notice of her presence at all. Even in the darkness Hershey could note a number 3 painted on the back of the machine, vanishing to the darkness away from her. It must've been an operator of some sort, unarmed. Hershey kept walking a bit more confidently now, as she saw a pair of stairs leading up to the second floor of the structure.

And beside the stairs, there was an oval-shaped column. Right where Medusa said it would be. Hershey cautiously walked towards it, her eyes fixed on everything that moved in the darkness. She began looking for the switch to open the doorframe, finding instead a numerical pad with an id recorder on the side. She opened her backpack, taking a small purse filled with fixed identification cards that were hacked in advance and looked at them, trying to identify the matching card with the lock. She realized that if she picked the wrong card to slide, it would trigger an alarm of some sort. It was a dilemma that would take some time to figure out. 

But time was a luxury she couldn't afford at the moment.

"Might as well go with instinct," she muttered, picking one card at random from the collection. She sled it trough without hesitation, and waited. Moments later, a phrase asking for the password flashed on the small screen, accepting the code from the hacked ID card. Hershey sighed with relief, not getting any unwanted attention from the robotic crowd. She started keying the password, using a set of numbers she remembered from Medusa. 

Again, she waited for a few seconds before any reply came from the lock. The lights turned from yellow to green, opening the hatch. Hershey walked inside immediately, ignoring any other noises around her. She closed the hatch once she got inside, and surveyed the newfound area. 

A series of pipes surrounded the walls and ceiling, extending endlessly trough a well-lit tunnel. Humming noises came from ventilation ducts and it felt a lot colder than it did outside in the junkyard. Hershey realized she was inside a ventilation unit, one that connected with the path to her destination in Lower Mobius. She began walking with more confidence along the group of pipes.

"Not bad, the walk is not too tiresome...but the view's kinda bland." She said to herself, trying to keep amused after walking for a good period of time. Soon, she came into the end of the tunnel, with a closed hatch surrounded by a huge circular doorframe. Hershey started analyzing the doorframe, in hopes of finding a hidden switch at least. Luck was not on her side once she failed to find any. 

She leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed against her chest with frizzled fur due to the coldness in the tunnel. She closed her eyes and pondered about her current situation, not giving up on this dilemma. Her eyes twitched once, catching the humming sound coming from the opposite side of the tunnel. She ignored it for the time being, and reached into her backpack, retrieving the laptop given to her by the mysterious organization. The mini disc given by Medusa was inserted a short time later, and a map of the tunnels was shown to her, along with directions on how to reach her destination. She traced along the route she was taking, every corner and point was there, as promised. Then there was a long viaduct shown, connecting the entrance of Lower Mobius. 

Hershey sighed. There was no record of how to open up this hatch anywhere. She closed the interface, and began exploring the contents of the hardrive, trying to locate anything she may find useful in her quest. Folders, applications, many things were built in, but none of these seemed to help her much in her mission. Finally, she tried to enter into a folder marked "Quartz Quadrant", but it was protected by a passcode. She sat down for a few minutes and tried to figure it out by herself, when another vibrating hum that came from the same direction as before.

At first, Hershey thought that this was just one of the pipes near her making the noise, but her eyes opened up once she heard the sound of lasers striking metal far away from her position. 

She looked deep into the darkness of the tunnel as the humming increased in volume, sparks flowing from every side where the first things that materialized in the distance. Soon, there was a yellow-painted transport that was coming at full speed towards her. Hershey thought of moving out of its way, as it may not be able to stop in time it reached her. 

There was one slight problem however: The tunnel was not spacious enough to move out of the way, and there was no other means of dodging the incoming vehicle. She packed the laptop quickly into her backpack, and took out her taser gun, aiming it at the hovering craft. 

The vehicle's top flew open as one laser beam hit it, sending it back in a haze of smoke to whoever was chasing it. Hershey distinguished the driver as a male canine mobian, with a look of shock on his face as he started to wave at her. She noticed that he started to scream as well, words slowly materializing as the vehicle came closer.

"...out the way! Move!"

Yeah, that was her first plan, but her current situation excluded such actions.

There was a giant bulk following him, shooting lasers from every other appendage that came into view. Hershey didn't need to know that this thing was, the mechanic sounds had Robotnik's signature all over it. As they both came into better view, the metal beast resembled a giant rat with cannons mounted on each side of its head and on its back. It looked like some kind of mutated badnik running in all fours.

A small beep sounded behind her, and the oval doorframe opened in full. Hershey looked back briefly, only to catch a glimpse of the vast darkness that resembled a pit, just a few steps away from her feet.

"Great." 

Hershey crouched as the vehicle came near, and waited. The thing was coming at full speed and she knew it would not stop as long as the mechanic menace following them kept on firing lasers at their back. One tactical maneuver was all she could ever think of at this moment. She holstered her gun and reached back on her backpack with her right arm, pulling out a small spark grenade.

She jumped to the wall, one free hand and feet crouching on the surface momentarily before she pushed herself once more into the open space into the vehicle. She tossed the spark grenade at the robotic rat, hitting it straight on the face. Hershey's body impacted with a laudable thud on the passenger's side of the vehicle, her shoulder and legs crashing onto it. The driver didn't know what just happened, but as soon as the vehicle crossed the door, he closed it behind by pressing a button on the console near the steering wheel. A deafening boom and a crash against the doorframe were all that was heard seconds later.

Hershey held on to the seat as she felt gravity pulling her body away, the vehicle was now hovering downwards on the wall, at full speed still.

"Are you alright?" The mobian yelled, without turning his head. He started to slow down since he heard no response. "Yeah..." Hershey managed to say once she breathed a gulp of air to her compressed lungs, she tried to sit up, but the awkward position she was in made it impossible to do so. The driver resumed his original speed down below, figuring it was the only thing left to do at the moment.

A few uncomfortable miles later, the floating vehicle came into a horizontal position again, and Hershey was now sited on passenger's seat next to the driver (Whose name mentioned to her was John Kosher). He explained that he was off in a mission from Lower Mobius to find food and water sources up on the surface, finding only trouble once the robotic rats blocked the way to the world above.

"So there are more of those things out there?" Hershey asked dreadfully.

"Yep...but the one you saw was the mother of them all, the rest are smaller and less deadlier. Luckily them lot didn't had the urge to chase me down here. I am glad you were around as well, that was some stunt you pulled back there. Where you said you came from again?"  
  


"The Junkyard, I was supposed to follow this route towards Lower Mobius, I need to find its current leader for some information." She turned her face at John with a serious gaze. "I can't tell you much else".

"Hey, no problem," he replied gleefully," You saved my tail back there as observed, I'll keep my mouth shut until I get you home."

Home as it was, Lower Mobius was located 300 meters below Robotroplis. Survivors of the First Wave attack that Robotnik launched on Mobiopolis trekked endlessly until they found a space among the rocky seclusions of the underground. Their source of power was a gigantic crystal that was strapped to a machine, on the highest part of the humongous cave. Food became scarce on these times, as the population kept growing year after year. Their means of transport were not many, including a handful of hovering vehicles like those John was driving, at times, they would even climb the tunnels that lead towards different parts outside Robotropolis, but it took much more time than using the vehicles.

Of course, even if they were able to reach the surface with such ways meant that they had to deal with Robotnik's inventions, avoided them was the best way to deal with such occurrences, they lacked the means to combat the likes of the robotic rats that swarmed the ventilation tunnels above. 

They stopped near a mobian-made rail corridor, where John parked the vehicle. They both jumped out of it, and headed towards the steel door located at the right side of the rocky wall. John knocked on it a few times and waited. Within seconds, a small opening revealed a pair of glaring eyes from within.

"I hope you didn't ruined another vehicle, John." a male booming voice said from the other end, "If I find much as a scratch on it, I am gonna make you build one from scratch up there at the junkyard!"

"Come on, Nero," John said with a wry grin and a shrug, "You let me in, and I buy you a hotdog, whaddaya say?"

Nero grunted and closed the steel slit. The sound of a lock came later, before the door flung open. It revealed a mobian bear, wearing a red cap and a utility belt with all sorts of tools strapped on it, a yellow shirt and black pants that merely held his waist came to view as well, as she noted his gaze on her.

"Who's yer girlfriend?" 

"My name is Lieutenant Hershey, agent for the Underground Resistance. I need to talk to your immediate superior". Hershey said with a sharp tone.

"So you say..." He said, rubbing his chin with a hand, "Well, go on ahead, you should be able to reach Lower Mobius Headquarters from here. I'll catch up with you later, John." The bear moved aside and let them both walk by, not saying another word. Hershey noted that he was looking at her from head to toe when he replied to her answer. She decided not to pay attention to that kind of look for now, but it was something she would not forget anytime soon. She followed John inside a hallway lit by small lamps that were mounted on each side of the walls, each waning in power every moment or so. They encountered Lower Mobius after a while.

Hershey's eyes widened at the sight of the city, endless houses were constructed on hills formed by rock and limestone, and the view was illuminated in an amber-colored shine, which came from the gigantic crystal that provided the city with energy. She noted that the crystal was also waning every so often, like the lights inside the hallway.

They walked through a series of rocky steps all the way down, entering the town. Some children were playing around brick-built homes, as other adults walked by, each talking among themselves and taking care of their own business. None seemed to be too worried about the problems on the surface. It seemed as if this was a whole new world altogether, and Hershey hasn't seen this kind of cheerful display since she was a kid frolicking in Mobiopolis.

John led her to a tall building in the middle of the town, not so far from the steps they walked trough, the building seemed to be only two stories high, and was painted in blue, with red streaks around the edges. The colors seemed purple thanks to the hue of the amber crystal above. Hershey noted a familiar looking symbol on the top left corner of the building, it resembled that used by the royal guard who served King Acorn, 10 years ago. They both entered the building and John closed the door behind them, shutting the cheerfulness that townsfolk were enjoying outside.

The interior of the building was built with white walls and green doors, each placed in contour with the other along a long hallway. To the right of the hallway were a stairway made of concrete, while at the left of it was a small desk, occupied by a feline mobian typing on a small computer. 

"Hey there, Rosie" John said. The orange-furred cat stopped working on the computer and looked up at him trough a pair of eyeglasses.

"John! You're finally arrived...what took you so long?" She implied.

"Eh...just a couple of vermin on the way, nothing much to worry about...say, is Captain Morak available? I need to talk to him for a while, he has a visitor here."

John pointed with his right thumb at Hershey, who was behind him and observing the conversation without interest. The cat looked at her and raised her eyebrows, noting her attire.

"Well...he is on the second floor, but he is busy at the moment, I will report to him that you are-"

"Thanks Rosebud," John said, already walking upstairs. Hershey soon followed, ignoring the look of surprise on the secretary's face. They climbed until they reached the second floor, which had the same look as the one below. Walking down the hallway, Hershey spotted a few portraits hanging on the wall, each a painted version of generals and officers who served King Acorn, and others who served kings before him. She followed John towards a wooden door at the end of the hallway. As they neared it, Hershey picked up faint argument behind it, she wondered if it was wise to interfere in their business today.

***

UNKNOWN LOCATION- ??:??

The air, stale as it always been for years, was overcome by the vapors emitting from one of the encased cocoons which wired up to the mainframe computer, just as many of its kind were. The dust covering the crystal hatch moved as it opened slowly, letting out more vapors and fog substances that kept the body's furry tissue alive, while his mind remained dormant, waiting for his arousal.

His eyes blinked, stirring about, waking up to an unfamiliar place while shaking the bits of dreams and obscure memories that were now gone from his mind. His hand reached from the opened hatch and pulled his body up from the metallic cocoon, wishing to be inside no longer. His eyes focused on his surroundings...darkness was all it saw, along with monitor screens that flashed green lights and red typed fonts on each set. His ears perked up fully as the beeps of computers continued in a monotone rhythm.

He observed patiently, discovering that this chamber was much alive as he was now. He coughed, gasping for more air as a choking sensation threatened to cut his air supply. Breathing seemed new to him, but he knew that it was common among any living being.

He questioned his presence in this room. He did not remember how he got here, or where he was before he was inside this cocoon. Many questions appeared on his mind, but one stood above all.

"Who...am...I?" The words blurted out like much difficult task, each with a voice so familiar, yet so strange to him. He sat up fully, and rested a foot on the cold ground of the floor, the sensation being new and old at the same time as it was everything he sensed and touched. The body of a young German Shepherd now stood fully, and tried to make his first step in this room, only to find himself fall to the ground with knees that were not yet ready to follow the commands from his brain. He used his hands to raise his body halfway, and looked up to a computer screen, with green words flashing on a black background.

SUBJECT TYLER, K. SUCCESFULLY PROGRAMMED.

***

LOWER MOBIUS- 03:34 AM

"They argue all the time," John suddenly said to her, "I'll take care of it, they always listen to me." He started knocking at the door and the argument behind it stopped. A mobian goat greeted him with a glare as he opened the door; Hershey saw the tension on John's face as his shoulders stiffened.

"Well, well, look who finally made it to dinner." the goat said, without looking at Hershey, "You better come up with a better excuse this time, Sergeant John, the Captain is not pleased with your actions since last week."

"Er...yeah, nice to see you Lieutenant Harvok. Look, um, I really need to talk to the Cap, and well...is not about me exactly..." John pointed with both hands at Hershey behind him, a wane smile appearing on his muzzle. Harvok raised his eyebrows as he looked at her, and then opened the door fully to allow them to enter the room. Hershey stared at the inside of the room carefully, noticing nothing more than a couple of wooden chairs in the middle of the room, with a small, steel desk behind them.

And behind that desk, a Warthog, dressed neatly in his navy blue uniform, reminiscent of the royal guard of Mobiopolis. Three golden stars were accommodated on his left breast, pointing his rank, and at the bottom of them was a golden lion's head, which pointed out a deed of heroism the veteran Captain did during his time with the Mobian Army. 

Hershey felt relaxed at this point, although she did her best not to show it. She knew she was in the company of fellow Mobians that fought for the same cause as her. Almost.

"A member of the underground resistance, I presume." The warthog finally said after minutes of silence. John was about to speak, but he was silenced by a single glare from the Captain. "What brings you here today, um..."

"Lt. Hershey, member of the second brigade of the Underground Resistance, sir." Said the feline, posing in military attention and saluting with her right hand over her forehead. The General nodded, noting the tone of discipline and respect she projected in her introduction. He motioned his right hand at the chair in front of her, to which Hershey looked briefly.

"I am grateful for your generosity sir, but I am in a bi of a hurry for commodities. I need access from one of your operational terminals to decode some files I gathered during my last trip to Robotropolis. One of my sources informed me I could count with you to provide help in my mission."

"I see...and who might this source be?" Said he, leaning his head to the right while raising a white-furred eyebrow at her. Hershey hesitated for a brief moment, feeling a bit of tension from Harvok (and even John) beside her. 

"Medusa." 

The Captain relaxed in his chair, leaning back with arms crossed along his chest. He cocked his head to the side and looked straight at Hershey, making eye contact with her. It was as if he was trying to see trough her own words, or possibly trying to find any sort a bluff among this conversation. The old hog closed his eyes.

"Well, let's see what we can do for you, Lieutenant." He sighed, "Although we have very limited sources down here, I hope they can be use to you."

"Thank you, sir" She replied, saluting the Captain moderately. He saluted back, and nodded to Harvok, who was already at the door.

"See that she gets what she needs. Walk her to the computer laboratory."

With that being said, Harvok escorted Hershey outside the room. John also was preparing to follow them, when the Captain stopped him cold with another glare.

"You are to remain here, Sergeant." He spat, "We have a few matters to discuss."

"Ah, yes sir, well..." Jason said in a frantic tone. "I am truly sorry for what happened to your last vehicle, I can explain-"

"I am not calling you for that, fool." The Captain held his hands outstretched on the table, and his glare turned into a gaze full of curiosity. "Have you found the Emerald?"  
  


The Husky smirked, reaching in his left pocket of his pants with his hand, and retrieving a glowing emerald the size of his fist from it. He set it on the table, looking at the Captain in with an eyebrow raised.

"Indeed I have, sir. And I may know a way to find more of these yet."

"Excellent, go then and follow Harvok. I have a funny feeling about that female."

The husky saluted and retired from the room. The Captain examined the Emerald closely in his hands, and grinned. The future of Lower Mobius might depend on this single gem, allowing the city to recuperate loss energy for the last couple of years.


	5. Chapter 4

_"Is he on the case?"_

_As ordered, sir."_

_"What about our special agent?"_

_"With him."_

_"Excellent. Remind me to give someone a raise for a job well done."_

_"Yes, sir."_

__

CHAPTER 4

UNCHARTED REGION, 07:23 AM-Northern Hemisphere Time-

The sound of machines digging around rock made Rouge cringe from time to time. Her sensitive hearing was put to the test as the machines kept digging trough raw rubble in an enclosed quarry. She clenched her hands into a fist, resting them on her broad hips. Her body formed a nice silhouette on the sand, as the stinging rays of sun blinded her eyes. Her wings were folded against each other on her back, but she extended them fully to let them cool down against the sandy breeze on top of the hill.

It was hot, it was uncomfortable, and her patience kept waning away with each minute that passed by. The minutes at the moment seemed like hours, and time was something she'd taken seriously. Rather looking for emeralds inside an abandoned mine than melting away in this inferno.

She tried to breath the air, chest expanding as her nostrils filled with sand. She soon bent over, covering her nose with a red-colored handkerchief, sneezing the unwelcome grains of sand that made her presence in this place a lot more uncomfortable.

"Damn IT! I don't think any reward-small or big...preferably big-is worth standing this hell. Why do I let myself be involved into such things..."

"Because I said so."

The bat's eyes opened fully as her body tensed. Drago's booming voice often sent a chill down her spine. She turned her body to face in an nonchalant manner, facing him, and still holding the piece of fabric over her nose."

"Don't do that again, Drago." She warned, "Is bad enough there's all this noise around that I have to keep my ears opened for anything out of the ordinary. And my ears-among the rest of my body- don't appreciate being out here at all."

"Well, excuse me your highness." Drago bowed, mocking her. "Next time why don't' I set the amount of money and YOU provide the meeting place? I think you would be more comfortable inside a damp cave hanging upside down while taking a siesta."

"Whatever." 

Rouge turned her back on him, raising her right arm with an open hand to him. She cleaned her nose and tossed the handkerchief away, not caring anymore about the sand than having to endure the wolf's sense of arrogance.

"What is the report on the drilling? That is...IF you have been putting attention to it at all."

"Everything's going accordingly-and I HAVE been putting attention...-, but I haven't received any news about finding whatever you and your people are looking for."

Rouge turned her face to see Drago on the corner of her eye.

"What IS that ya'll looking f'r again?"

Drago walked close to her, too close for comfort as he slid his hands on her bare shoulders. Rouge allowed this with disgust, at least until he would tell her.

"You'll see when we get to it, bat. For now just...'chill' and do your job, eh?" 

That being said, Rouge pulled away from his grasp aggressively, hunching her shoulders forward. She took a few steps towards the edge of the cliff, looking down at the badniks working the machinery; just the she had done so for the last three hours. Her upper lip flicked, showing a pair of sharp fangs that shone against the sunlight and her left leg rested upon a small boulder.

"I can't get over these things working as they are, as if their minds were linked together for a sole purpose at a time. No sign of independence there, eh Drago?"

"You'd be surprised how independent some get to be, Rouge." Said the wolf, with a somber tone, "maybe even more independent that you could ever imagine. "

With that he walked away, leaving the bat by herself once more. Rouge closed her eyes and shrugged, not caring much about that last reply. She let her mind drift away with thoughts of riches and treasure. Something she longed to do months earlier before she was contacted to work alongside Drago.

But riches weren't the only thought she had in her mind, for she already anticipating her next moves should she ever be deceived. Momma raised no fool.

"Damn right she didn't." 

A smirk on her face appeared, just as her eyes affixed on the far horizon.

***

LOWER MOBIUS, 04:30 AM

Hershey followed Harvok inside another building, containing large cabinets topped with dust, and a few mainframes set on the corner of a wall. She knew this as the intelligence sector of Lower Mobius, where data was stored and computers were used to track movement inside the pipelines connecting their subterranean home with the rest of the world. The short walk helped her muscles relax a bit, after accumulating all sorts of stress gained from her previous adventure. The beeps of computers joined the wheezing sounds from copy machines everywhere her face turned. Members of the small militia group wandered from one monitor to another, working on their projects.

Harvok ignored all but one dingo sited at the center of the room. He was wearing a red scarf, and was eating a piece of bread with his left hand while his right typed on a keyboard. Hershey noted that there were more than five keyboards surrounding him, but he seemed to switch to one another without taking his eyes off the screen. Or letting go of the bread that seemed stale the more she kept looking at it. 

"Leonard, this is Lt. Hershey. She needs your assistance with a mini-disk, please."

The dingo held out his left hand, not ever leaving the computer screen alone. Hershey reached inside her vest for the copy of the files that gave her trouble back at the pipelines. Leonard popped it inside one of the many CD drives that were hanging from everywhere, clicked into the secured folders, and then stared into an identification interface, asking for a password.

Leonard plugged away a cable that was connected entirely into another mainframe. Then let his fingers fly at the keyboard, typing every other password known to him into the interface. So far, none of these seemed to take effect on the screen. Finally, after minutes of waiting, Leonard managed to go trough the complex inscriptions read in the mini-disk. His eyes widened with every bit of information being thrown at his face. 

"Where'd you get this disk?" He said for the first time with an accented tone, while turning his head towards Hershey. The feline replied with a stiffened pose, no sound escaping her mouth. Leonard shrugged, going back to the computer screen, and kept deciphering the encrypted fragments of data inside it. Finally, he clicked on the folder named "Quartz Quadrant", and began hacking into its contents. The dingo's hands stopped typing, and relaxed back on his chair, while nibbling on his ration.

"Done. It'll be a few seconds before it is given back to you." Harvok nodded and turned to Hershey, who seemed frozen in place. Her expression serious and emotionless, even after she got part of her job cut out for her. A series of print outs came from the computer, giving details of the locked information inside the disk. Leonard ripped a segment from them, and handed them to the Lt.

"This map shows where the Quadrant is located. I thought at first that it could've been some kind of mistake, but the coordinates show it as clear as it could be."

Harvok went over them and his eyes narrowed. He passed the prints to Hershey, who looked them over patiently. This time, her eyebrows raised slowly, looking at the other Mobians with a bit of concern.

"The wastelands?" 

"Yeah, just about." The dingo explained, "That sector there will be reached by crossing this path. I am not sure what you are looking in there, but the thought of going at it alone is more like suicide to me." 

Hershey studied the prints a bit further, and noticed an array of mountains peeking out from the edge of the wastelands area. It was marked with a green circle, a location that she may have to reach from that horrible place.

"What is this location?" She pointed at the green dot, "What is there, exactly?"

"Well, I am not sure what those mountainous structure iis/i exactly. But I can tell you that it is very close to the area belonging to the Wolfpack Freedom Fighters. I assumed that since the location pinpoints to the southeast of that region." 

Leonard rubbed his chin smugly, while his ears flattened against his skull. "Funny thing is, no one has ever heard such location existed. This is a first to me, really."

"To me as well," Harvok said, while turning a stern gaze towards Hershey. "Just what IS that you are looking for in such a place?"

"That I am not so sure myself," Hershey said in a calm manner, "However, I cannot divulge much about my mission to anyone that is not involved in it. I apologize."

"I see..." The Lieutenant replied, not believing her story. He decided not to go any further into this, and turned to the hacker, who was still checking the disk's contents. 

"Is there anything else you can find about that disk, Leonard?"  
  


"Well...there are some other files which I can't seem to reach. But I can try to find my way into them if you give me the time." He turned his gaze back at them both, looking for an infinite answer. Harvok glanced over at Hershey, who gave a slight nod. Harvok then looked back at Leonard.

"Alright, give it a go."

"Right, here we go..." the dingo's fingers once again flew over the keyboard, checking into the disk once again. He paused momentarily, with a look of worry over his face. He then typed into the keyboard for the second time, a lot more aggravated than before.

"Something the matter, Leonard?" 

"I am receiving images of the maps of Lower Mobius' entrances, sir." He said in a frightened tone, "It seems every opening we use to reach the surface has already been marked, also, I am getting different kinds of logs being exchanged from one point to another, with information about our escape routes."

"What are you saying?"  
  


"What I am saying, sir..." he gulped, "Is that our location is being traced by an unknown perpetrator. For the looks of it, it seems to be doing more than just finding a way to get here. Our main entrances have been open up, while our emergency exits have been completely sealed off."

***

THE JUNKYARD, 05:14 AM

Medusa stood still, her limbs frozen, her eyes darkened. She tuned her sensors below normal functions, so it gave the impression that she was malfunctioning. The Swatbot carried her inside the lookout tower, where assistant robots were already waiting.

"Begin a diagnostic on this unit," The Swatbot ordered, "Make sure she is operational as soon as possible."

Medusa was left in the center of the room, and the robots began wheeling toward her, tentacle-like arms extending towards her body, eager to dismantle her body to run every type of test possibly to examine her current status.

Medusa caught one of the metallic arms, just before it went for her neck. She lifted her head, eyes radiating in a blood-red glow. 

"Keep your filthy claws to yourself."

The machine began beeping frantically, trying to brake free from Medusa's grasp, but the metallic vixen had a firm grip onto it. She pulled the arm to its extent, veering it towards another robot that was already trying to escape the ordeal. The machine clashed with its partner, sending them both towards a wall in a splatter of bolts and plates that got loose in contact with one another.

Medusa turned towards a third unit that was already signaling an alarm at the door. She picked up a metal rod from a trash compactor, and launched it on the robot's upper torso. The machine began convulsing violently, and then it shut down in a puff of smoke. Satisfied of her actions, the badnik walked towards the exit at the doorway, to her freedom.

Her hopes were cut short by an appearance of a leather-clothed individual at the opened doorway. The feminine features were plainly apparent against the glare of the light emitting from outside, although Medusa's robotic eyes needn't the aid of any source of light to notice it. A black helmet covered the head, with a visor covering her face. 

"It's only you...what are you doing here? Aren't you aware that this is treacherous ground to meet me at?"

The only response that the figure gave was a shot from a laser gun that appeared in her right hand. Medusa's eyes dilated fully, as the sparks of severed cables came from a new hole embedded in her chest. Her eyes flickered to darkness, after her body collapsed to the floor. The shadowy character turned from her, blending into the darkness from whence she appeared.

A set of metallic tentacles appeared shortly, from the room, wrapping around the metallic vixen's body. The door closed with an audible hiss of air as she was dragged back inside. 

***

LOWER MOBIUS, 05:35 AM****

"Sector 14 has been breached, sectors 3 trough 7 are inaccessible. We're having causalities left and right." A mobian kangaroo said, his fingers flying trough the keyboard while checking any more damage done by the monstrous robotic rodents. Harvok turned his gaze back to Leonard's monitor screen; a computerized version of the city was displayed, covered in tiny red dots that seemed to be increasing in number. Hershey crossed her arms and looked at the disk inside the computer in the meantime.

"How did this happen?" Harvok asked, "Who could've entered our computer terminals and override the city's defenses this easily?"

"I don't know sir, I wish I had an answer to that," Leonard replied, "but I am working on getting our exits opened at the moment."

"Very well, see that our people have a chance of getting out of here alive. Lieutenant Hershey, I have to ask you to leave this place, it is no longer safe for you to be around."

The feline looked at him with a concern look on her face. The goat nodded, and handed her the computer disk. 

"Your mission must be completed if our friend Medusa was involved on it, make sure not to let her down."

With that said, Hershey took the disk from him and kept it inside her vest. She peered over Leonard's screen, which displayed another section of Lower Mobius being ravaged by the robots.

"Sir, I managed to open one route towards the surface," the dingo said, "it is located on the subterranean cavern, near the regional area." He looked back at the L

"Good job, Leonard. Hershey, use this exit and get out of here, we will do our best to hold off those vermin." 

Another loud explosion was heard, and this time, part of the ceiling gave out, sending large chunks of debris and clustered pieces down. Hershey jumped out of the way, avoiding a direct hit from the dangerous stones. A cloud of dust covered everything as she managed to go out trough the door.

Coughing, she got up and looked behind her, there was nothing visible other than a screen of smoke that the collapsed section left. She saw no one moving inside. She walked back inside, looking around for any survivors. There was a kangaroo with a heavy computer frame located on her chest. Hershey began walking to the injured Mobian, only to be pushed aside once more, this time her oppressor was nothing more than a gigantic motorized rat, fixing a scanning laser on her face. Hershey ran away from it, but it was too late, the mechanical beast already pounced on her, raising her by means of having its metallic jaws on her backpack. Hershey was unable to move at such angle, but tried to detach her backpack to get herself free. 

The rat began shaking its head violently, moving Hershey's body like a rag doll. Her legs met the concrete walls once, making her flinch in pain. Hershey got herself free after slashing the backpack's lining with her claws. A move of desperation she found to be most useful on this situation. She fell down on her side, her legs being unable to support her body after the painful crash with the wall. The rat spat away her backpack and looked down at her, its glimmering eyes radiating death upon her face. With a screech, the rat snapped its jaws at her, and then lowered its head to take one fatal bite at her body.

The rat's eyes met a laser blast, sending the mechanical being back with another screech. Hershey looked back to the source of the blast and found a wounded mobian chipmunk at one of the doorframes holding a blaster with his right arm while his left was holding his ribs. He kept firing more shots at the rat, trying to distract it from the fallen feline.

"Hurry and run, I will keep this thing occupied!" He shouted and Hershey jolted out of the room, ignoring the burning pain that her legs still held within. There were more shots then she heard the sound of the metallic rat, but nothing more. Hershey jumped and crashed her body against a damaged window, liberating herself from the cursed robotic vermin. It was fortunate that the ground was not so far below; otherwise she would be a stain on the now-ravaged city. This time, she landed on her feet, but the burning sensation was still present.

Hershey hid herself behind a wall, and surveyed the area. Buildings riddled in fire and ruined homes where everywhere, the rats kept excavating tunnels on the floor for more of their kind to get out. She remembered the map straight from her head, she knew where she current location was, but the problem was how to get there before the rats began to attack anyone that dared cross their path.

There were not many mobians outside now, the ones who were present held the rats at bay with any means of defense they found, it ranged from laser beams to wooden sticks and rocks. The battle was turning quickly against them, since the metallic bodies of the vermin were powerful enough to sustain damage from such weak weaponry. Buildings collapsed as more rats appeared, Lower Mobius seemed to face the last ray of life as its people kept fighting desperately. Hershey felt the need to join them, to defend with any methods of dense she had at hand.

However, when she began to move towards the small group of fighters, her mind turned to let her know of her directive, images of St. John flashed on her mind, he was shown either alive or dead, and she needed to find him regardless of what she was confronting down here.

With a grunt, she turned and ran towards the exit. She was halfway to meet the metallic vermin, when a yellow transport pulled right in front of her. Jason smiled weakly at her, good arm holding the steering wheel of the hover car.

"Need a lift?" He said, already opening the door for her to jump in. The hover car was maneuvered away moments before a rat pounced it to the ground. Avoiding a couple of other mechanical fiends, Jason drove at full speed, avoiding the mayhem and destruction. Lower Mobius became a vast battleground, unlike the way it looked to Hershey when she first visited. Smashed building and fire replaced the cheerful life these mobians used to have. She noticed a few corpses on the ground; heroic soldiers who risked their lives so other could flee the invasion. Desperation joined her sadness, feeling hopeless, as she could do nothing to stop the massacre. 

Jason made a sharp turn to the left, avoiding more of the monsters lurking around. However, a large boulder obstructed his way. Jason did not have the time to stop fully, so he tried to maneuver around the boulder without colliding with it. The action proved to be too much and the hovercar found itself turning over, hitting the boulder on its side. The vehicle spun in the air and landed on its side, knocking Hershey far away. Her body trashed against dust and rocks violently, then finally stopped against a crumbling limestone wall with a heavy thud. She managed to maintain consciousness however, raising her head lightly to see towards the direction of Jason's vehicle. Trough a scratched visor she noticed the canine's arm stretched from below the upside down hovercar, but it made no motions whatsoever. She cringed, not being able to comprehend all this carnage. The car caught flames moments later, and it was giving all the signs that it would explode any time soon.

"No...Jason...please..." Her words were stuck on her throat, trying to make way trough a mouth full of her own blood. One of the dreaded mechanical rats appeared, and it advanced towards her, ignoring the damaged vehicle. Its eyes shone with the knowledge that Hershey was not going to escape at all, and just like before, its jaws opened to meet her body, going for the kill. Damn it all, she thought, this seemed not worth the senseless killing.

Sparks flew from the neck of the robotic monster, flying around its body and barely touching the cat's fur. After the last spark flew by, the rat stood motionless, its eyes darkening. It made neither sound nor movement, but its head kept falling onto her involuntarily. She felt her body being pulled away in a flash, moments before the severed head fell on her with a crashing sound. The rest of the body fell apart moments later, piece-by-piece it went, forming a useless pile of metal and circuitry. Hershey felt confused about what was going on, she felt her body being held by a pair of masculine arms, and at the same moment, she tried to look up to see who was responsible for her rescue. She managed to notice a blurred blue face before she passed out completely, due to the damage her body sustained.****


	6. Chapter 5

"Sir."  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"We've received news about the badnik, sir."  
  
"How is she faring?"  
  
"She's missing."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Reports say she's been out of action far too long, there are rumors that  
she has been captured as well."  
  
"Make a full search on her, and report back immediately."  
  
"Right away, sir."  
  
CHAPTER 5-KNOTHOLE, THE GREAT FOREST  
  
Sally sat on the edge of her bed, staring to a cup that was once filled with coffee. Her troubled thoughts raced trough her mind, making waves after waves of burdensome responsibility as both a princesses and a leader. A few additions to that responsibility had been added, after rescuing a long lost friend from the depths of Lower Mobius.  
  
The same friend whom she had an encounter long ago, and almost lost her life because of it. Now, that same friend was rescued from death herself, have Sonic not ventured into the underground city that got overrun by Robotnik's monstrous machines.  
  
"How serious is it?" she asked to Doctor Quack while he attended Hershey's wounds with ease. Bloody bandages laid inside a bucket while new were being wrapped around the cat's torso, carefully going over her damaged skin and making sure it protected her ribcage.  
  
"Not as serious as I thought it would be, really. She is lucky that her bones are intact, but I am afraid that one of the boulders hit her head pretty hard, so she will be out of it for a while," Said the doctor after applying the last of the bandages. "She is lucky she didn't had a single broken bone."  
  
He turned his head to see the princess and added a wink on his right eye, trying to comfort her. "I'll give her until noon before she wakes up. Rest is all she needs for the moment. Now if there is anything else I can do for her, just let me know, I'll be at the usual."  
  
By that he meant the tent housing the wounded freedom fighters. The doctor and his attendants were usually found inside (and around) the establishment, giving medications and attending to the wounded by replacing bandages every other hour. His job never seemed to be done, although his mood was always cheerful, even if it meant that he could get little or no rest at all. His dedication was something short of remarkable.  
  
"Thank you doctor."  
  
Sally looked down at Hershey, her arms folded against her chest. Many questions she wanted to ask the now Underground Rebellion member and no way of doing so at the moment. And after seeing her like this she wondered if it would be a good idea to even question her when she finally wakes up. The Underground Rebellion has not had any kind of contact with the Freedom Fighters for several months, and every time Sally tried to communicate with them, the lines would get abruptly cut, leaving her in the dark about updates or progress on missions related to their plans to liberate the world from any remnants of Robotnik's power.  
  
The door behind her closed as the doctor walked out of the small hut. Sally thought of doing the same, but couldn't get herself to do so just yet.  
  
She felt glad to see a long lost face among the many that resided in Knothole, but she also felt concern for her well being. That troublesome past did not matter any longer, although the memory is still there. She took one last look at Hershey. Her face grimaced and her eyes winced, giving hints of being still in pain. She was found in pretty bad shape when Sonic rescued her from Lower Mobius. Sally reached with her right hand at her for comfort, but refrained from doing so. She did not wanted to wake her up at her current condition. Instead, she reached inside her vest and retrieved a small disk, which was in Hershey's possession when she was found. Sally studied carefully, noticing no inscriptions on it, or any other distinguishing marks that could determine its owner. It was of a pale yellow color, and it looked no different from the ones she had used in Nicole as means of backing up files.  
  
She raised her head in realization of this and proceeded with the notion of taking a peek inside it, but at the same time she realized it would not be right if she did hits without Hershey's permission. Sally slid the disk once more inside the vest, and rested it on the top of a shelf nearby. The princess then sat down on a wooden chair, observing Hershey. She was glad nothing serious happened to her, and that she was able to see her once more, despite of what happened in the past. She relaxed on the chair and remained there; keeping watch over the feline until a knock on the door forced her to get up. She heard the sound of the door opening, and the face of a male wolf peered trough. He was black furred and his eyes shone with a sparkle of green and gold. His muzzle was long and thin, almost vulpine. His ears, long, with a white tip on the right one.  
  
"Princess Sally, your presence is required at the breakfast meeting, many are already acting agitated for the wait."  
  
"Yes, thank you Malco. Let them know I will be there in a few minutes. Oh by the way, has Bunnie showed up yet?"  
  
The wolf shook his head slowly, and then spoke. "I have not seen her around, Princess. Should I send someone to find her?"  
  
"No, that is alright Malco, I am sure she will appear soon." Sally stood up from her seat and stretched her arms vertically, her body forming outlines around her rib line and breasts. The wolf looked aside, feeling a bit embarrassed for staring. Sally noticed this and a thin smile appeared on her face, followed by her right hand resting on her lips. Of all the new members in Knothole, Malco was surely the most modest and educated. She has heard that the black furred wolf was once a spokesman for the Kingdom of Mobius, before Robotnik's takeover took place. Many houses around the kingdom gained friendship with King Acorn as a result. Malco was also trained in hand-to-hand combat, or by using a force lance. Sally felt she made the right choice in selecting him as a guardian to watch over Hershey.  
  
The Princess walked over to the exit and Malco opened the door fully, allowing her passage. Sally stopped halfway through and looked up at him, for his stature easily toppled hers.  
  
"Why don't you take a brake, Malco? I will wait here until Bunnie arrives."  
  
The wolf's ears flattened and his muzzle parted with a grin. "A brake sounds nice at the moment, m Princess, but right now many are awaiting your presence, and I prefer if the people's needs are taken care of than my own. I shall guard your friend until Bunnie relieves my post. I really don't mind."  
  
Sally nodded with a smile of her own, and then closed the door behind her. Malco was a true gentleman, an honorable one at that she realized. She then walked from the hut and followed the small trail that led to Knothole's main plaza. Food and drinks would be served as the meeting would commence, and she would have to endure through it since she will be facing many difficult questions.  
  
Moments later, Bunnie Rabbot appeared (with apologies about being late), relieving the honorable wolf warrior and guardian of Hershey's hut.  
***  
  
Her eyes opened all of the sudden, observing an unfamiliar ceiling. Her body sat up in an instant, panting with sweat among her fur. Hershey didn't know where she was, but her instincts were working hard to let her know that she was in danger no more. Her ears ringed, but soon songs of birds and conversations of mobians near were replacing that ring slowly. Hershey tried to figure out where she was, although the room she was in kept giving her strong hints that she was here before.  
  
Lower Mobius? No, this place looked -and felt, - a lot different, for one, the structure she was inside was made mostly of hay and wood, not brick, like in many structures of the subterranean citadel.  
  
Her right hand rubbed the back of her neck involuntarily; she felt a sore spot just underneath her skull. The cat winced and retrieved her hand to take a look at it, the sensation of blood was there, but there were no traces of the vital liquid on it. She began to check her body, then her legs, trying to find any injured muscles or broken bones.  
  
Her ribs were covered with bandages, and still hurt enough to let her know that they've been broken once. Her legs were still a bit sore, but no serous injuries to them were present. Her body was in pretty good shape after all.  
  
Now was the time to find out where she was. She kept recalling the structure of the room in her mind, feelings of her being traced along with it. She still couldn't place where she was at the moment, and her head was throbbing at the effort of finding her whereabouts. Her eyes closed as she rested her face on an open hand. She wanted to get up from the comfortable bed she was resting on, but her body soon anticipated her thought with a protest of pain and tiredness.  
  
All right then, that is not a good idea at the moment. She thought, her eyes furrowing to trace back the events that led her to this place. Her mind was foggy at first, blocking out some memories of time's past, but eventually, it allowed her to go back to Lower Mobius, at the time when the citadel was attacked by the enormous rats...  
  
***  
  
"Sector 14 in the city has been breached, sectors 3 trough 7 are inaccessible. We're having causalities left and right." A mobian kangaroo said, his fingers flying trough the keyboard while checking any more damage done by the monstrous robotic rodents. Harvok turned his gaze back to Leonard's monitor screen; a computerized version of the city was displayed, covered in tiny red dots that seemed to be increasing in number. Hershey crossed her arms and looked at the disk inside the computer in the meantime.  
  
"How did this happen?" Harvok asked, "Who could've entered our computer terminals and override the city's defenses this easily?"  
  
"I don't know sir, I wish I had an answer to that," Leonard replied, "but I am working on getting our exits opened at the moment."  
  
"Very well, see that our people have a chance of getting out of here alive. Lieutenant Hershey, I have to ask you to leave this place, it is no longer safe for you to be around."  
  
The feline looked at him with a concern look on her face. The goat nodded, and handed her the computer disk.  
  
"Your mission must be completed if our friend Medusa was involved on it, make sure not to let her down."  
  
With that said, Hershey took the disk from him and kept it inside her vest. She peered over Leonard's screen, which displayed another section of Lower Mobius being ravaged by the robots.  
  
"Sir, I managed to open one route towards the surface," the dingo said, "it is located on the subterranean cavern, near the regional area." He looked back at the L  
  
"Good job, Leonard. Hershey, use this exit and get out of here, we will do our best to hold off those vermin."  
  
Another loud explosion was heard, and this time, part of the ceiling gave out, sending large chunks of debris and clustered pieces down. Hershey jumped out of the way, avoiding a direct hit from the dangerous stones. A cloud of dust covered everything as she managed to go out trough the door.  
  
Coughing, she got up and looked behind her, there was nothing visible other than a screen of smoke that the collapsed section left. She saw no one moving inside. She walked back inside, looking around for any survivors. There was a kangaroo with a heavy computer frame located on her chest. Hershey began walking to the injured Mobian, only to be pushed aside once more, this time her oppressor was nothing more than a gigantic motorized rat, fixing a scanning laser on her face. Hershey ran away from it, but it was too late, the mechanical beast already pounced on her, raising her by means of having its metallic jaws on her backpack. Hershey was unable to move at such angle, but tried to detach her backpack to get herself free.  
  
The rat began shaking its head violently, moving Hershey's body like a ragdoll. Her legs met the concrete walls once, making her flinch in pain. Hershey got herself free after slashing the backpack's lining with her claws. A move of desperation she found to be most useful on this situation. She fell down on her side, her legs being unable to support her body after the painful crash with the wall. The rat spat away her backpack and looked down at her, its glimmering eyes radiating death upon her face. With a screech, the rat snapped its jaws at her, and then lowered its head to take one fatal bite at her body.  
  
The rat's eyes met a laser blast, sending the mechanical being back with another screech. Hershey looked back to the source of the blast and found a wounded mobian chipmunk at one of the doorframes holding a blaster with his right arm while his left was holding his ribs. He kept firing more shots at the rat, trying to distract it from the fallen feline.  
  
"Hurry and run, I will keep this thing occupied!" He shouted and Hershey jolted out of the room, ignoring the burning pain that her legs still held within. There were more shots then she heard the sound of the metallic rat, but nothing more. Hershey jumped and crashed her body against a damaged window, liberating herself from the cursed robotic vermin. It was fortunate that the ground was not so far below; otherwise she would be a stain on the now-ravaged city. This time, she landed on her feet, but the burning sensation was still present.  
  
Hershey hid herself behind a wall, and surveyed the area. Buildings riddled in fire and ruined homes where everywhere, the rats kept excavating tunnels on the floor for more of their kind to get out. She remembered the map straight from her head, she knew where she current location was, but the problem was how to get there before the rats began to attack anyone that dared cross their path.  
  
There were not many mobians outside now, the ones who were present held the rats at bay with any means of defense they found, it ranged from laser beams to wooden sticks and rocks. The battle was turning quickly against them, since the metallic bodies of the vermin were powerful enough to sustain damage from such weak weaponry. Buildings collapsed as more rats appeared, Lower Mobius seemed to face the last ray of life as its people kept fighting desperately. Hershey felt the need to join them, to defend with any methods of dense she had at hand.  
  
However, when she began to move towards the small group of fighters, her mind turned to let her know of her directive, images of St. John flashed on her mind, he was shown either alive or dead, and she needed to find him regard what she was confronting down here.  
  
With a grunt, she turned and ran towards the exit. She was halfway to meet the metallic vermin, when a yellow transport pulled right in front of her. Jason smiled weakly at her, good arm holding the steering wheel of the hover car.  
  
"Need a lift?" He said, already opening the door for her to jump in. The hover car was maneuvered away moments before a rat pounced it to the ground. Avoiding a couple of other mechanical fiends, Jason drove at full speed, avoiding the mayhem and destruction. Lower Mobius became a vast battleground, unlike the way it looked to Hershey when she first visited. Smashed building and fire replaced the cheerful life these mobians used to have. She noticed a few corpses on the ground; heroic soldiers who risked their lives so other could flee the invasion. Desperation joined her sadness, feeling hopeless, as she could do nothing to stop the massacre.  
  
Jason made a sharp turn to the left, avoiding more of the monsters lurking around. However, a large boulder obstructed his way. Jason did not have the time to stop fully, so he tried to maneuver around the boulder without colliding with it. The action proved to be too much and the hovercar found itself turning over, hitting the boulder on its side. The vehicle spun in the air and landed on its side, knocking Hershey far away. Her body trashed against dust and rocks violently, then finally stopped against a crumbling limestone wall with a heavy thud. She managed to maintain consciousness however, raising her head lightly to see towards the direction of Jason's vehicle. Trough a scratched visor she noticed the canine's arm stretched from below the upside down hovercar, but it made no motions whatsoever. She cringed, not being able to comprehend all this carnage. The car caught flames moments later, and it was giving all the signs that it would explode any time soon.  
  
"No...Jason...please..." Her words were stuck on her throat, trying to make way trough a mouth full of her own blood. One of the dreaded mechanical rats appeared, and it advanced towards her, ignoring the damaged vehicle. Its eyes shone with the knowledge that Hershey was not going to escape at all, and just like before, its jaws opened to meet her body, going for the kill. Damn it all, she thought, this seemed not worth the senseless killing.  
  
Sparks flew from the neck of the robotic monster, flying around its body and barely touching the cat's fur. After the last spark flew by, the rat stood motionless, its eyes darkening. It made neither sound nor movement, but its head kept falling onto her involuntarily. She felt her body being pulled away in a flash, moments before the severed head fell on her with a crashing sound. The rest of the body fell apart moments later, piece-by-piece it went, forming a useless pile of metal and circuitry. Hershey felt confused about what was going on, she felt her body being held by a pair of masculine arms, and at the same moment, she tried to look up to see who was responsible for her rescue. She managed to notice a blurred blue face before she passed out completely, due to the damage her body sustained. 


End file.
